Poor air quality in Cheyenne caused by wildfires set to improve

CHEYENNE — Laramie County residents woke up Thursday to the smell of smoke, and throughout the morning, the air quality index showed unhealthy levels of air pollutants.

Though it improved throughout the day, the smoke that settled over the capital city had migrated south from the House Draw wildfire in Johnson County.

“We had some northerly winds overnight that kind of caused the smoke to drift southward, along and east of Interstate 25, so it’s settled in this morning,” National Weather Service Cheyenne meteorologist Michael Natoli said.

Due to the brief impact of the poor air quality, the National Weather Service and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality decided not to issue an air quality alert, Natoli said. By Thursday afternoon, the air quality index was moving out of that unhealthy category; however, those sensitive to the smoke should still be cautious.

“If you can smell the smoke, just be a little cautious, avoid strenuous activity and prolonged exposure,” Natoli said. “But as far as what we’re expecting, it is improving to the point where the general population should not be affected going through the afternoon. Once we start to get a few more hours of clearing, it should come to where it’s less of an issue, even for the more sensitive groups.”

While the impact of the smoke on local residents is likely to dissipate by the evening, the impact of the House Draw Fire is growing, burning more than 163,000 acres, forcing evacuations and causing the closure of Interstate 90, according to reporting by the Buffalo Bulletin.

Fires in Northern Wyoming have spiked air quality warnings in several communities, and the House Draw Fire is not the only active blaze affecting the state.

The Fish Creek Fire near Togwotee Pass is expected to continue to expand, and fire officials are managing two significant fires in Campbell County and one in Sheridan County. All of the fires are believed to have been caused by lightning.

Thursday evening, U.S. Forest Service officials announced that two roads on the east boundary of Grand Teton National Park were closed in both directions due to the Fish Creek Fire, which has grown to more than 10,000 acres.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has implemented the temporary closures of the following roads:

U.S. Highway 287: Lava Mountain Lodge to the east boundary of Grand Teton National Park: Closed both directions due to fire. As of 5:11 p.m., the estimated open time was unknown.U.S. Highway 26: East boundary of Grand Teton National Park to Lava Mountain Lodge: Closed both directions due to fire as of 5:11 p.m. The estimated open time was unknown.